Background

In a United Nations (UN) Summit that was held in September 2015, the world leaders adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to call for actions by all countries to create a sustainable world. The SDGs, which consist of 169 targets, later came into force in January 2016, aiming to stimulate actions by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet to achieve sustainable development that meets the needs of the present and future generations by 2030.

According to the Penang Paradigm – the Penang state development plan that was introduced in 2013 has made sustainability a major element in the state development strategy. The 17 SDGs that were introduced in 2015, has called for a review on the state development pathways and strategies to enhance long term sustainability of Penang.

Aim

Serves as a platform for stakeholders – government agencies, academicians, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local communities and private sector to discuss approaches and initiatives that should be taken to make Penang a green and sustainable state by 2030, by incorporating the SDGs into the state development strategies.

Objectives

To discuss current and future environmental challenges that should be addressed in Penang.

To introduce SDGs to the stakeholders of Penang and to suggest targets and SDGs that should be prioritized to enhance the environmental sustainability of Penang.

To foster a multi-stakeholder discussion in making Penang a green and sustainable state.